Latching stall gates

[Simkie]

We have these stall gates in large for two of our stalls. They were installed by the people we brought our place from. They jerry rigged a latching mechanism with one of these dealies that I haven’t been real keen about.

I’m rehanging the gates lower–I think they are too high, and am tired of watching the horses smack their jaws–and would prefer a different way to close the gates.

Suggestions? A screw eye to hook the double ended snap to is the obvious answer, but I’m wondering if there is a smarter way.

[jcraig10]

[QUOTE=Simkie;7838374]
A screw eye to hook the double ended snap to is the obvious answer, but I’m wondering if there is a smarter way.[/QUOTE]

this is what we use.

[Outyougo]

According to my husband you can’t build things too strong or too safe for horses

I use a LARGE Screw eye, a bit of chain and a “caribeener” type snap works great the trigger snaps fail too often

[PeteyPie]

If the gates are comfortably low, the horses will lean comfortably on the gates. Just a thought.

[Simkie]

That’s a good point, PeteyPie, thanks for bring it up. Don’t think it applies here, though, as even with the gate hung perhaps 2" off the ground, the top of it is still higher than the feed doors on my Priefert stalls. These gates are TALL. The way they were hung originally puts the top horizontal part about 4" under the throatlatch of an “on alert” 16 hand horse.

I dropped one stall gate about 6" today and am MUCH happier with it so far. Dove is in that stall and I really disliked that she was cribbing on the stall gate with it so high (I dislike that she cribs, period, but I’d prefer that she not contort herself to do it, you know?) She’s also funny about her head and was always either smacking her jaw on the yoke or hitting her head on the crossbeam above. She already seems more at ease with the gate down a bit.

Tied it shut tonight…will hit up Lowes tomorrow for a screw eye and a solid beener And will give myself a few days to love it or hate it before dropping the other gate.

[Simkie]

It’s been a few weeks, and while I am super happy with the gates lower, I am not happy at all with the latches

I’m using something like this right now and while I feel that it’s nice and sturdy, it’s just a royal pain to open.

Has anyone used the kiwi gate latches on gates like these? I’m thinking that might be perfect, but I’m unsure if I’m overlooking something.

[artisticgold]

I love kiwi latches, they are the very best, strong, can use just one hand, but there is a bit of play in them. It probably would still be great for this use.

[HungarianHippo]

How much clearance between gate and the post it latches to?
If you have ~3" space, you could use these, which I have for all my field gates (and LOVE!). I can open them even with both arms wrapped around 6 flakes of hay blocking my vision.

If not enough clearance for that post that sticks out, this version would prob work because the “receiver” attaches to the front of your post. (But make sure you have a way to reach through your gate to lift the latch, when you’re in the stall!!)

[Simkie]

HH, no clearance. The stall opening is narrower than the stall gate.

artisticgold, do you use the honest to god kiwi latches that are spring loaded? Or the knock off version I have linked above that isn’t spring loaded? Unsure if I need to spring (HA!) for the “real” version or not.

Here’s the name brand one: http://www.kiwifence.com/gate_accessories.php#gnzlc

About double the price for those. Figure I’ll just replace the latches on everything here. I am tired of the double ended snaps on the pasture gates freezing shut.

[artisticgold]

I have the cheap version, they work great. Think I’ve only had one break in 20 plus years, and that was where the chain met the hook latch.

[Wonders12]

I LOVE kiwi latches. I’m slowly replacing them on every gate and door (except stall doors) in the barn I manage. We just have the cheap ones and they work well.

However, if the horses can reach the latches from their stalls, it might be worth splurging for the spring loaded ones. I have never had a horse unlatch one, but they’re never anywhere a horse would really stand and play with them for an extended amount of time. It would be very challenging for a horse to undo even the cheap latches, but a Houdini type with one on his stall might be able to get lucky.

[vandenbrink]

Screw Eye and double snap seems to be what everyone one uses for those types of stall gates. If you worry about snap durability, you want to make sure it’s a solid brass snap…they are definitely stronger. Now they’ve gone to painting the cheaper quality with gold tone paint, so you have to watch what you buy.

Some of the other latches, Kiwi latch and Marine Snap for example have higher risk of horses snagging halters. the two way gate latch is good on pasture gates, but I could see horses fussing with it, if it’s their stall door and maybe opening it.

[x-halt-salute]

I’ve used the cheap kiwi latches that aren’t spring loaded and I hated them for my purposes (at a facility that had a lot of people using them – many humans needed help figuring out how to operate them, and every now and then someone would manage to rotate a screw eye just right and leave one propped in such a way that a horse could open it with a little dedicated fiddling). However, I could imagine liking a spring loaded version much better. I’m personally a fan of climbing biners (have used Black Diamond Neutrinos – they’re about $5 a pop, so in the same range as kiwi latches), but there’s probably a reason that I’m horribly ignorant of that makes horse people prefer trigger snaps and kiwi latches.

[moving_to_dc]

Like x-halt-salute, I also have seen people destroy the kiwi latches because they do not understand how they work. They have pulled the ring out of place, so the latch is just a J-shaped hook that is not secure. The kiwi latches CAN be fixed, though, by placing them in a vise with the ring in the proper place, and squeezing them to make the gap in the J much smaller - I usually make it just big enough for the eye bolt to pass through.

I also have the latches that Hungarian Hippo linked. I LOVE them. In fact, I take ALL of them off the gates and take them with me when we move every few years. They are priceless. Swing the gate and it closes/locks automatically. Another plus is that they support the gate end, which helps prevent longer gates from sagging. They are pricey, but they are worth it. Some of mine have been used outside for 12 years now, and other than a bit of paint fading, are still looking and working great.

[x-halt-salute]

My trail access used to take me through gates with the latches in Hungarian Hippo’s first link. Loved them for easy opening (and more importantly, easy re-latching) gates from horseback. I have no experience with the one-sided ones, though – they look like they might be a bit fussier to open…

I suppose the non-idiot-proof nature of Kiwis wouldn’t be such an issue for a private barn, but I grew to hate them so much that I’d have a hard time recommending them to anyone.

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

[QUOTE=HungarianHippo;7876905]
How much clearance between gate and the post it latches to?
If you have ~3" space, you could use these, which I have for all my field gates (and LOVE!). I can open them even with both arms wrapped around 6 flakes of hay blocking my vision.

If not enough clearance for that post that sticks out, this version would prob work because the “receiver” attaches to the front of your post. (But make sure you have a way to reach through your gate to lift the latch, when you’re in the stall!!)[/QUOTE]

I hope this isn’t too much of a hijack, sorry Simkie, but I dislike my (outdoors) latching method now that it is frigid (chain to carabiner that clips to eyebolt–still way better than the chain in the gate method they come with though and would be good out of the wind in a stall). I’m actually padlocking my gate with a bike chain now too, as I’m neurotically worried she will magically rip the eyebolt out of the 8" thick post and they will get on the highway. She has actually bent out a very heavy-duty 6" long eyebolt pushing on the chain. So the kiwi ones worry me, as she seems to love to lean HARD, but this looks good for outside gates.

You guys don’t have sag issues that make those hard to use eventually? How big are your gates? So far my gates are doing great, but they’ve only been up for 6 months and they are very heavy-duty 14’ long, so I worry… Also, does it stick, or always snap closed when you get the gate in place? Can a mouthy horse open it?

[costco_muffins]

@Simkie;7876935

artisticgold, do you use the honest to god kiwi latches that are spring loaded? Or the knock off version I have linked above that isn’t spring loaded? Unsure if I need to spring (HA!) for the “real” version or not.

We also use the knock-offs. Got them in the sale bin at our local tack shop and find them nearly as easy as the 2-way latch. Definitely would recommend them.

[bdj]

TTP, I have those two way gate latches on a number of gates at home and I love them! I think they’ve been installed for 3 or 4 years now, most get pretty heavy use, and I haven’t had any issues with gates sagging and making them difficult. I think they actually help prevent gate sag (assuming you’re leaving them closed) because they support the free end of the gate when closed. I have had one get frozen shut once last year (we had a night that started out wet and rainy and finished bitter cold), but a good thump loosened it up with no trouble. The only times they don’t close automatically are when a) you haven’t done such a great job installing it, so the latch rides a little too high or low or b) you slam it shut a little too hard, and it bounces back open, before the latch part has a chance to drop.

Neither the old guy nor the mare were/are mouthy, fiddly types, so I can’t speak to how easily a horse could jiggle it open, but I don’t think it would be that easy, since it requires that you lift one side while pushing (or pulling) the gate itself. If you were concerned about that, there is a slot in the bottom where you can slip a carabiner through to secure it.

[jawa]

I have been on a farm that had the one way and the two way gates latches. The one way I didn’t like as much for opening or closing. I found them to be more of a hassle. The two way gate latches were awesome…until they weren’t. It may have been due to poor fence installation or poor latch installation. The problem was the fence shifting to make the gap too wide or too narrow (wet season to dry season) with a few weeks of just right. Most of them ended up needing a chain for added security. When the gap for the gate was too wide the latch wouldn’t meet up with the rabbit ears, it would just pass on through. When the gap was too narrow you either couldn’t get the gate open because it was pushed so hard against the plate on the post or you couldn’t get the gate securely latched because it couldn’t pass by the rabbit ears.

I found this to be a problem with board fencing that didn’t have any bracing along the fence line. The boards were rough cut salt treated pine. The gap for the gate would shrink or grow by several inches depending on rain or no rain.

[Timex]

I have a friend who has had the same issues as jawa described. Ended up chaining the gate shut.